NYT Report Confirms: Clean Water Act Protection Slips for Americans

Imagine not being able to bathe your children with tap water for fear they will break out in painful rashes, or having to use bottled water to brush your teeth so that the chemicals do not wear off the enamel.

It might be hard to believe, but it’s happening here in America every day.

An extensive New York Times article, released earlier this week, describes what it’s like to live in a community with contaminated water and why violations of America’s Clean Water Act are so common.

When the Clean Water Act passed in 1972, the country saw a dramatic revitalization of the nation’s waters. Now however, the violations are increasing and despite being reported, they go unpunished.

As a result, the report estimates that today one in 10 Americans has been exposed to drinking water that contains dangerous chemicals or fails a federal health standard.

Part of the challenge lies in the fact that it’s hard to prove that the water specifically caused the diseases that people are experiencing. A further problem is that most pollutants are odorless and tasteless.

As the article makes clear, stronger enforcement of both the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act is crucial to protecting our drinking water and our health, and bolstering Clean Water Act enforcement is an important first step.